The use of intercom and telephone entry systems is well known in the art. A classic type of entry unit 10, which is depicted in FIG. 1, includes a housing or case, such as housing 2. These units are often substantially self-contained, and mounted near an entry exit doorway. Typically a text type display is provided, for example, as shown a legacy display 4 may be provided. These well known systems also include a plurality of mechanical switches, such as pushbutton keypad 6a of FIG. 1, usually further including an up-arrow key and a down-arrow key. These latter two keys enable the user to move up and down through a plurality of records when the number of records is greater than the number of lines on the legacy display. Importantly, the keypad 6a is a numeric keypad. Traditionally, a function provided by the keypad is to enable a user (e.g., visitor to the building) to enter an occupant code. Upon entry of the code, a user may be alerted to pick up a nearby handset 12, as a phone or buzzer of the occupant is activated to indicate the arrival of the user/visitor.
Another feature taught by the prior art is depicted in FIG. 1 by round wheel or dial 6b, which is coupled to a structure such as a rotary encoder. A user may use the dial and rotary encoder 6b, to “sequentially” move through the first letters of the last name of the building's occupants. A skilled individual may note that the function of the dial/encoder wheel is actually somewhat similar to the up-arrow and down-arrow keys, especially if the hardware supports a press and hold mode, for auto-repeating a key press. That is, both the dial/encoder wheel and the up/down keys enable a user to move ‘sequentially’ through a listing of the available occupants. If the building is large, this type of an interface is not very efficient, requiring a user to possibly step through a significant number of occupant records.
Accordingly, it would be most desirable to provide an improved directory system, and method of use, wherein an occupant of a building, even a large building with many occupants, can be readily and (relatively) efficiently located. In addition, it would be most desirable to provide a system that employs a graphical user interface (GUI) that is intuitive, simple, and further provides prompts and easy to follow instructions. The most preferred embodiments of the graphical user interface of the invention would provide a multi-page interface enabling an occupant to be readily located, and further readily contacted by way of possibly a plurality of available contact icons or electronic buttons.
A number of other characteristics, advantages, and or associated novel features of the present invention, will become clear from the description and figures provided herein. Attention is called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only. In particular, the embodiments included and described, have been chosen in order to best explain the principles, features, and characteristics of the invention, and its practical application, to thereby enable skilled persons to best utilize the invention and a wide variety of embodiments providable that are based on these principles, features, and characteristics. Accordingly, all equivalent variations possible are contemplated as being part of the invention, limited only by the scope of the appended claims.